Police: Palm Bay man chases women with knife, shovel in Melbourne park

Palm Bay man remains held in Brevard jail after Melbourne police said he kicked a woman in chest in area park

J.D. Gallop
Florida Today

A 38-year-old Palm Bay man who Melbourne police said was half-naked as he chased women with a knife and shovel at a park last week remains jailed, records show.

Rogelio Valentin Espinoza, 38, was charged with three counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon along with one count of battery, and one count of resisting an officer, on Friday after police were called to Brothers Park to investigate a disturbance. He was being held on a $27,500 bond at the Brevard County Jail Complex in Sharpes.

Brevard County Jail

Officers arrived to find Espinoza wandering the street without pants or underwear while carrying a shovel and a knife, records show. Espinoza told officers that he had been in the park to smoke marijuana and that he then spotted a group of women who he says had "beat his (expletive)" last week and decided to confront them, records show. Espinoza then approached the women, clutching a knife and the garden shovel, records show.

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Two women told officers they were attacked by Espinoza but managed to escape serious injury. One woman was kicked in the chest by Espinoza, police reported. Espinoza was taken to the Brevard County Jail Complex. No trial date has been set.

J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @JDGallop.